More firefighters arriving to fight late-season wildfire west of Fort Collins

Nov. 28, 2012

Written by

Coloradoan staff

More firefighters continue arriving at a wildfire burning in Rocky Mountain National Park as it approaches 1,500 acres.

The Fern Lake Fire that started Oct. 9 has persisted with dry, windy weather and little snow. Wednesday’s weather brought winds strong enough that a helitanker battling the blaze had to cease operations after dropping several loads of water on active fire in the Spruce Creek drainage, according to a news release from the National Parks Service.

The fire has grown to an estimated 1,488 acres about 9 miles west of Estes Park.

Fire crews Wednesday worked on a quarter-acre spotfire about a quarter mile west of one they suppressed Tuesday. An additional nine firefighters hiked in Wednesday to support them, and another 30 are expected to be assigned to the fire by this afternoon, according to the news release.

A fire and smoking ban is in effect until further notice in the backcountry of the park, east of the Continental Divide. Moraine Park Campground remains open, and campfires in grates are allowed. Trails in the immediate area of western Moraine Park and the fire are closed to hikers.